tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post8774943311879724025..comments2024-03-29T00:32:33.920-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Blue Book, Cover to Cover (Part XVI)James Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-85480376984108854132010-07-29T10:02:34.808-04:002010-07-29T10:02:34.808-04:00Stone Mountain Rocks! [Sorry, somebody had to...]
...Stone Mountain Rocks! [Sorry, somebody had to...]<br /><br />If it has a twin, it's got to be the one or two maps of the the Lost City and the Pyramids megadungeon in the old Basic D&D module B4.<br /><br />Great stuff!fantasygamebookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05240994072742026340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-52060002042211022892010-07-29T06:27:42.974-04:002010-07-29T06:27:42.974-04:00"I can't calculate the way that this sing...<i>"I can't calculate the way that this single illustration exerted an influence over my imagination. Even now, when I think of a dungeon, it's Stone Mountain that comes to mind."</i><br /><br />You're certainly not alone there. I've made a few versions of "Skull Mountain" over the years. One of them we'll be publishing later this summer. It's a highly evocative little diagram.Bigharahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14232940345429292782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-21729158537445598572010-07-29T03:00:00.486-04:002010-07-29T03:00:00.486-04:00I'll just point out that I do still require a ...I'll just point out that I do still require a leader/caller position in all my games, and I think it works really well. My attitude is that it front-loads a discussion of how impasse/ disagreements will be worked out (as opposed to one dominant player personality taking over mid-game). It comes with a warning from me, "The idea is not to be tyrannical", and I've never seen it go wrong.<br /><br />See #5 <a href="http://deltasdnd.blogspot.com/2010/04/helgacon-iii-overall-recap.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-40914046937509063372010-07-28T21:07:09.072-04:002010-07-28T21:07:09.072-04:00Agreed. In the firts issue of Casus Belli, which w...Agreed. In the firts issue of Casus Belli, which was at that time a french wargamers review - and had to becaome a mythical rpg one - there was an article about D&d, which was not yet translated officially in french. I think it was an article from François Marvell-Froideval, who worked with TSR - and that's one of the featres of the game he put on evidence : two tables had a real different game, using a wide set of houses rules, third products and so on.<br /><br />But, the same does exists now more or less with the 3rd era gamers - they got plenty of supplements and options, including third party products, so they must make a choice between that material. In the pbp world, it's obvious no two DMs use the same set of rules.Nicolas Dessauxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03010015806129652185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-181283585477133312010-07-28T20:22:32.838-04:002010-07-28T20:22:32.838-04:00James, I'm intrigued by your final sentence. D...<i>James, I'm intrigued by your final sentence. Do you really think that modern gamers "expect any two campaigns to be the same," and if so why?</i><br /><br>I think this primarily because, as RPGs changed in response to the demands of their fans, especially <i>D&D</i>, there's a greater emphasis placed on uniformity of rules. You can see this in <i>AD&D</i>, where Gygax specifically notes that a lack of such uniformity hampers both the growth of the game and the ability of players to move from one group to another.<br /><br />I don't think gamers nowadays are averse to house rules and rules tweaks by any means. But I do think there's (generally) less tolerance for the wild variations that existed back in the 70s, when each "<i>D&D</i>" campaign was basically its own game sharing certain basic rules in common with other ostensibly <i>D&D</i> campaigns but quite divergent in most other respects.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-10861908801495503632010-07-28T20:16:11.383-04:002010-07-28T20:16:11.383-04:00I think the Caller is a throwback to a more hierar...I think the Caller is a throwback to a more hierarchical and authoritarian time, where hobby groups had assigned roles for individuals, often hierarchically given. You still see this in some hobby groups in Japan today (though not in the role-playing groups I play with). <br /><br />It reminds me of how school and public life was organised in those days, and maybe it just faded out as things changed in the outside world (though maybe it was gone by the time of AD&D - so perhaps it was just the groups they played in at that time).<br /><br />James, I'm intrigued by your final sentence. Do you really think that modern gamers "expect any two campaigns to be the same," and if so why?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-6869795318620203172010-07-28T19:50:19.233-04:002010-07-28T19:50:19.233-04:00I started a pbp in rpol, named Stone Skull Mountai...I started a pbp in rpol, named Stone Skull Mountain, using Holmes, geomorphs, Monsters and treasures assortment, and the Rogue gallery. Unfortunately, I had to leave it for a while, but now I'm seeking new players.Nicolas Dessauxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03010015806129652185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-36422027853620438592010-07-28T19:23:06.513-04:002010-07-28T19:23:06.513-04:00Ever since I first got the Holmes book, I have wan...Ever since I first got the Holmes book, I have wanted to map out and design Skull Mountain.<br />I still have yet to do it.Cord the Seekerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15768966473685556824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-64640067875437644412010-07-28T17:52:57.329-04:002010-07-28T17:52:57.329-04:00We experimented with a Caller back in the day, but...We experimented with a Caller back in the day, but it didn't last. Whatever our characters' alignments, we as players and GM were just too Chaotic. :)<br /><br />Skull mountain has always appealed to me, too. I wish they had developed it. Maybe I will, just for the heck of it.<br /><br />BTW, if you search "tower of zenopus" on Google, a PDF of the GM advice section and the sample adventure is available at the Wizards web site.Anthonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01254215329246851683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-22899870751261423762010-07-28T16:05:19.642-04:002010-07-28T16:05:19.642-04:00I always got the sense that Holmes's example l...I always got the sense that Holmes's example left out discussion between the players about the course of action that they were taking, instead collapsing into the Caller's announcement to the DM after all the decisions had been made. When I was younger and we still used a Caller, that's how things went, but maybe I'm just projecting my experiences onto the text.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-78454382846594645012010-07-28T16:05:12.757-04:002010-07-28T16:05:12.757-04:00Like you, those sample maps and dungeons always go...Like you, those sample maps and dungeons always got my creative juices flowing. I've always enjoyed taking a good idea and expounding on it much more than coming up with something from scratch.Praetoriushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615267701681202292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-83682762855279526982010-07-28T16:00:07.121-04:002010-07-28T16:00:07.121-04:00The one thing that always rubs me the wrong way in...The one thing that always rubs me the wrong way in that example is the dictatorial control the caller is allowed to have over the other characters. Fortunately, it's a style of play that has since withered and you don't need to talk anyone out of it these days. The rest of the advice, as you say, is pure gold, as is the Tower of Zenopus adventure.Roger G-Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08594440701279968693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-6555632762630240132010-07-28T15:56:29.597-04:002010-07-28T15:56:29.597-04:00The series still has a little more to go, so I'...The series still has a little more to go, so I'm not done yet!James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-51971310263407392252010-07-28T15:55:03.950-04:002010-07-28T15:55:03.950-04:00Mmm...totally agree with that final sentiment. Tha...Mmm...totally agree with that final sentiment. Thanks for the great series.<br /><br />BTW: I think it's these early imperatives to "speak in character" that led to people getting a real feel for role-playing...that and having to "think in character." But that's just my thought on the matter.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08532311924539491087noreply@blogger.com